The annual event, held on the birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, declares public transit a civil right. Parks was born February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus on December 1, 1955, helped spark the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott that transformed American public transportation.
Unlike Montgomery, Pasadena never enforced Jim Crow laws requiring segregation on public transit — and California enacted no such statutes for streetcars or buses. But the city’s transportation history carries its own equity burden: freeway construction in the 1960s and 1970s displaced more than 1,700 residents from Northwest Pasadena, destroying vibrant African American neighborhoods and businesses.
“Transit Equity Day honors Rosa Parks’ legacy and the principle that everyone deserves access to reliable public transportation,” said Doug Chaffee, chair of the Metrolink Board of Directors. “Free-fare days open the door for more Southern Californians to experience Metrolink firsthand and see how regional rail can connect them to new opportunities.”
The Pasadena Department of Transportation, led by Director Joaquin Siques, offers free fares on six days annually, including Transit Equity Day, Earth Day, Bike to Work Day, Clean Air Day, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday. The department’s stated mission is achieving the safe, efficient, and convenient movement of people and goods while maintaining a livable community where cars are not necessary for travel within the city.
“My vision for Pasadena builds on the progress made over the past two decades in enhancing safety for all road users, prioritizing sustainability and equity,” Siques said upon his appointment in March 2024.
Pasadena Transit operates 11 routes with a base fare of 75 cents. Routes 31 and 32 serve Northwest Pasadena and Altadena. Dial-A-Ride provides on-demand service for senior and disabled residents in Pasadena and neighboring communities including Altadena, San Marino, and unincorporated Los Angeles County.
Metrolink will allow riders to board any of its 67 stations without a ticket. LA Metro will provide free rides on all buses, trains, Metro Bike Share, and Metro Micro rideshare services. Last year, Metrolink recorded more than 27,000 boardings on Transit Equity Day — 22 percent above the average Tuesday ridership for the rest of the month.
Transit Equity Day was launched in February 2018 by the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Labor Network for Sustainability.
Parks, who served as secretary of the Montgomery NAACP chapter at the time of her arrest, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. She died October 24, 2005.
For Pasadena Transit schedule, fare, and route information, call (626) 744-4055 or visit www.PasadenaTransit.net.
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